Travel Ireland, Scotland and Beyond with Celtic Invasion Vacations

Travel Ireland, Scotland and Beyond with Celtic Invasion Vacations

By Marc Gunn, The CeltfatherSociety & CulturePlaces & Travel
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Travel Ireland, Scotland and Beyond with Celtic Invasion Vacations episodes

  • Disney, Star Wars, and Jedi Drinking Songs #206

    I was worried when I first heard about Disney buying the Star Wars franchise. It turns out they've done a better job with it than George Lucas. But I didn't know that would be the case when I wrote this song with my fellow Brobdingnagian Bard, Andrew McKee. "Mickey's Jedi Drinking Song" is part 3 in the "Jedi Drinking Song" trilogy.

    This Thursday is the official release of Name On My Soul, the debut album by my other band, Kilted Kings. Would you please by the single "Name On My Soul" on iTunes or Amazon (or both;) or buy the album on CD Baby. You can find all of those links on the Kilted Kings website.

    Andrew McKee will also release his debut album, The Irish Bard, on the same day, Thursday, February 2nd. I'm not sure where it will be available. So go to his website.

    You can subscribe to The Celtfather podcast at www.celtfather.com and find my mailing list as well. Check out more about our albums on the latest Pub Songs Podcast and get a free copy of "The Prettiest Hobbit".

    Finally, a special thanks to all of my Patreons who generously pledge just $1 per month to support my music and get lots of cool bonus content. Go to patreon.com/marcgunnmusic to join these 90 awesome people!

    0 min
  • My 2017 Goals and 2016 Successes and Failures #205

    I sat down last week to take a look at my successes and failures last year and use that info to plan ahead for 2017. Take an inside listen to my thoughts. 

    The subscribe to my podcast at celtfather.com. When you sign up to my mailing list, you'll get 5 MP3s for free plus regular podcasts, videos, music and more.

    1 hr
  • The Prettiest Hobbit #204 (Special Guest: Heather Kenzie Gunn)

    The Celtfather undergoes a new change. It will once again be a short news show, but each episode will begin with a song that you can help me pick. This week, it is "The Prettiest Hobbit" from my upcoming Kilted Kings album "Name On My Soul". The CD officially comes out on February 2, 2017. Join me a for a whole host of events leading up to the album release.

    If you live in or near Huntsville, Alabama. Please come join me at the Maggie McGuinness Pub for my annual concert at this intimate house concert with good friends and good craic. Tickets are now on sale. 

    Oh! And I value your feedback. Is this a format that you would enjoy on a regular basis? Please let me know. 

    Subscribe to the podcast at www.celtfather.com. Then become a patron for as little as $1 per month.

    8 min
  • Know Your Renaissance Festival Audience

    I learned a valuable lesson last weekend when we built up a nice-sized audience of about 40 people and HALF of the audience walked out in the middle of a song. 

    In this show, I share why Kilted Kings is a different and becoming one of my most-successful shows at a Renaissance festival.

    What song caused so many people to leave the show? "

    Why am I playing different songs at the Louisiana Renaissance Festival than most of my shows?

    I answer these questions and more in today's podcast. It's a nice lesson in knowing your audience and how to market to them, including some of the problems with picking an audience.

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    If you're not already subscribed, you can do so and find shownotes at celtfather.com.

    Join the Gunn Runners Club to support Marc Gunn's music over on patreon. Go to marcgunn.net for details.

    17 min
  • Marc Gunn's Celtic Halloween EP

    Last week, I released a brand new album called Celtic Halloween EP. What's that you say? You missed the news? That's probably because it was exclusively released to my Official Gunn Runners and Patrons over on Patreon.

    In addition to exclusive podcast, news updates, live concerts and more, you will now also get some free music that is unavailable anywhere else.

    I tell you more about the EP and the four songs on this episode of The Celtfather. And I also forget to mention the cool eBook that goes deeper into the music and album.

    Before we finish, a Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net.

    The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.

    15 min
  • A Celtic Session in a Cornish Kitchen

    One of the highlights of my Celtic Invasion Vacations is playing music for my invaders. That's because the setting is small and intimate. The music is often requested by my invaders who enjoy the many shades of Celtic music I play. On the Celtic Invasion of Cornwall, we had a beautiful house in Instow. I pulled out my autoharp and played a few songs for a couple evenings. You will enjoy one of those shows in a moment. The show was performed in the kitchen after one of my home-cooked meals.

    Before I share the show, I want to let you know that I play concerts live on the internet. I have a few such shows in October. On Thursday, October 20, 2016, I will play my third annual Halloween music special, performing spooky Halloween stories about death, ghosts, murder, and all sorts of haunted fun.

    SONGS IN THIS SHOW

    1. "The Leprechaun" from Soul of a Harper

    2. "Close Your Eyes" from Kilted for Her Pleasure

    3. "Middle Earth Bragging Song" from Soul of a Harper

    4. "Whiskey in the Jar" from Not Every Day Is St. Patrick's Day

    5. "I Will Not Sing Along" is unreleased

    6. "Lily the Pink" from Brobdingnagian Fairy Tales

    7. "Paddy McCullough" from Songs of Ireland

    8. "Black Is the Color (of My Cat's Fur)" from Irish Drinking Songs for Cat Lovers

    9. "Mingulay Cat Song" is Patron's Only

    10. "Monahan's Mudder's Milk" from Firefly Drinking Songs

    You can subscribe to my internet concert mailing list. I will send you emails only when I have a big internet concert. Go to celtfather.com/watch to sign up today!

    If you want to experience one of these shows first hand, then join me on my Celtic Invasion of Brittany. Next year's trip is scheduled for June 3-10, 2017. Subscribe to my mailing list to join the invasion at celticinvasion.com.

    Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon. They pledge $1 or more per month to support my music. You can too and you'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. Find details on Patreon at marcgunn.net.

    The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.

    40 min
  • Feedback from Celtic Invasion of Cornwall

    Every year, I host a Celtic Invasion Vacation. We travel to various locations around the world get to know a small region through its culture, history, legends and music.

    In 2016, we invaded Cornwall in the Southwestern portion of England. Cornwall is one of the seven Celtic nations and has a lot to offer. We only tapped a small portion of it. But the experience left many great memories.

    Next year is the Celtic Invasion of Brittany. Applications are now open. Only 8-10 people will join us. We have four booked as of this writing. So if you want to reserve a spot, send in your deposit and application soon.

    Details about the 2017 trip will be announced in November at www.celticinvasion.com.

    ---

    I want to send Special Thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details on Patreon at marcgunn.net.

    The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.

    14 min
  • Discontinued CDs in the Modern Music Business

    I posted a video on Facebook announcing a sale on physical CDs that I plan to discontinue. Kris asked me if I would stop playing these songs. No. I will not stop playing them. It's all part of a big restructuring I am making to reflect the modern music business.

    A couple weeks back, I posted a blog called "Patronage in the 21st-Century".

    The music business is changing. CD sales are dropping. Streaming is the future. The only way professional musicians will have to make a living is through live performances or through patronage.

    To that end, I am restructuring my entire business with Patreon as the center. I am looking for innovative new ways to grow my patronage as well as build my Fanbase.

    Here are some of the changes you can expect over the next year:

    I hope to start giving out a free EP every month through my mailing list. Patrons will get full access to these short albums. These albums will be just me and the autoharp. But the best of these songs may end up in a full album complete with background musical instruments like most of my albums. I may also release the EPs On Bandcamp. But we shall see. These might be fan only albums.

    I am also planning a monthly e-book style newsletter. My hope is for a fan interactive ezine. I will publish one soon. And you can see what you think.

    Now what are the things that will stay the same?

    I will continue to use Kickstarter to raise money to pay for the production of my main albums. The physical copies will probably be limited to 300-500 CDs, depending on demand. If I sell out of the first printing, I may reprint if it's a popular title.

    I do need to figure out some sort of swag that I can sell in its place. I haven't figured out what that is yet.

    You might've noticed that a lot of these items are for my regular email subscribers. My hope is to attract new fans to my mailing list and then convert them into patrons.

    However, patrons will continue to get bonus stuff including live audio and video concerts, as well as all the other bonuses.

    --- 

    Before we finish, a Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net.

    The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.

    0 min
  • How to Make a Good Video on Your Phone
    This is The Celtfather. My name is Marc Gunn. Today I want to share with you something  a little different. It's a podcast for my musician, actor and artist friends out there. I'm gonna explore everything I have learned about how to create good videos all on my phone.    I'll tell you more about that in a moment. But first I want to let you know you can download a full album of 21 MP3s from my first 20 albums by heading over to Celtfather.com.    I am not a professional videographer.    I'm a musician and podcaster or who recognizes the value of video for marketing.    I have only been doing relatively good videos for less than a year.    My goal is to teach you how to record video, make it good, and keep it simple.    There's nothing as daunting as trying to stitch together a good three minute music video. So we're not gonna do that. Yet.    I'm a big believer in just getting started, create, create, create. If you wait until you have it down perfect, you'll do what I did and wait five years.    I make all of my movies with my iPhone 6S. I edit them in iMovie.    For the most effective marketing with videos, I suggest you learn by doing short 30 second videos.    Start by scripting what your goal is for each video.   Write in short sentences.    At the end of each video, include a call to action. For me as a musician, that means my website.    Offer a freebie to download on the website.    The script does not need to be fancy. Again, keep it simple. We're talking about 100 words... Tops.    You don't need a script. And many times I start without one.    There is a good way of scripting for those who don't like to write. Record into your camera or just the audio and talk. Then transcribe what you recorded. Voilà! You now have a script.    All right let's make a video.    Now since this is an audio podcast, I have no way of showing you specifics. It's up to you to figure out. Instead I will guide you with the basic concepts.    The first thing you need to consider is location. You want a place with good lighting and a little background noise. Those of course are the ideals. You can adjust the visuals at least with lighting. Sometimes background noise can be useful.    If you have a tripod, I would suggest that you get it out right now. If you don't, then find a nice place to set up your phone. Holding it is a recipe for disaster.    Close your eyes and listen.  Is there a lot of background noise? If so, find a new location.    If one isn't available, oh well let's keep planning.    The microphone on the iPhone is pretty darn good. I tried out and did video reviews of a few microphones for the iPhone. Most were not comparably good enough to spend $20-100.    If you want a much more clear sound, a lapel mic is always nice. But the headphone mic on your iPhone works pretty darn good.    For all practical purposes, we're going to assume you were using the regular microphone on your phone.    Let's go on to lighting. This has always been my nemesis. That's why many of my first videos were filmed outdoors. I could use natural lighting.    Eventually, I needed to do video inside. That's why I bought a three point lighting system. It was pretty cheap. The lights cost about 40 bucks each. I'll include a link on Amazon in the show notes.    Put lights at 45° angles from you to the left to the right and up. The third light I haven't figured out how best to use. It's supposed to be a backlight to sort of set you apart in the background. My location has not worked as well.    You may have heard of the DIY Workmans lamps that you can use. If you can get a nice diffuser for the lamps, then it should work pretty well. A diffuser basically softens the light that shines on your face so that there are fewer shadows.    If you do go the workmen lamp light route, then make sure you have a day lightbulb to balance out The orange glow of regular lightbulbs. Considering the low price of the other lamps I suggest skipping the DIY route.    Let's talk about location. I am not the best when it comes to figuring out aesthetics. My office is in a dark woodpaneled basement. It looks crappy. But with good lighting it works out okay.    You want something that is visually appealing though. It shouldn't be too cluttered or dirty looking. It's also pretty boring if it's a very plain background. I have found too dark doesn't work right either.    Try shooting your background without you and maybe adjusting it a little bit so that it looks nice with or without you.    Once you have a visually appealing background, you should try shooting some test shots with you in the frame.   From movie scripts, I've learned that there are basically four different shots. First is the wide location shot. Second is the full body shot. Third is the torso shot. And last is the close-up.    For the sake of our 30 second ad, we're only gonna be talking about the last two.    The torso shot is exactly as it sounds a shot from the waist up. It is your basic friendly every day shot.    A close-up is of course basically a headshot. It's a good way to seem a little bit more intimate with the viewer.    Your basic torso shot should have you 3 to 5 feet from the camera. While the close-up will have you 1 to 2 feet and may distort your facial features if you get too close. So be warned.    Let's start shooting.   I am terrible at memorizing scripts. My mind would go blank as soon as I started rolling. But I still tried to memorize these long scripts and record something. Then I learned the most important tip for video making--jump cuts.    Before you start recording, I want to talk a little bit about editing your videos. One of the most-popular features on editing software is the Crossfade. This allows you to pleasingly blend 2 scenes. If you're new to video, you will want to use it. Don't.   Go watch any video, TV show, movie. You will see the jump cut. In fact, most YouTubers use nothing but jump cuts. If you ever worked with audio, you'll find it actually works better. My goal with video is to make sure the audio sounds good.   With scripting, I said write short sentences. That's because when you record the video, you want to make it easy to edit. When you record your video, speak in short sentences. If you have a crappy memory for memorizing scripts, like I do. This will help you with your video editing later.    I memorize one very short sentence. Look at the camera. Smile. Recite the sentence. Pause. Look down and memorize the next sentence.   When you go to edit this video, you will be able to easily cut after your short sentence and stitch together good sounding audio. If you don't move much, many people might not even notice the jump cut. It's not important whether they do or not. This is the modern style, and it looks good.    Of course, you can do the same thing without a script. Just start talking. Keep your sentences short, Or at least your ideas short. Then just talk. Just remember that five minutes of rambling may take 30 minutes to an hour of editing.   But with practice, I have found 30 seconds of video, I can edit in 5-10 minutes, complete with pseudo subtitles.    Subtitles you ask?   No. These are not the SRT file of actual subtitles. Instead, I just quickly overlay text for what I am saying in the video. Since it's only a 30 second ad and you're speaking in short sentences. It's quick and easy to do.   From here, I recommend you practice. A lot. Create a weekly ad for something. Keep it short. As you get better at it, you can make it a little longer or start using effects.    The big thing as with all marketing is tell a story. A good story will engage your viewers and get them excited to learn more.      Before we finish, a Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net.     The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. I want to invite you again to my website at Celtfather.com. You can subscribe to my mailing list and download my free album. You'll enjoys hours of music plus a few free gifts.       
    9 min
  • 7 Original Celtic Geek Songs on New Kilted Kings CD

    My new band, Kilted Kings, just launched a Kickstarter for our debut album, Name On My Soul. I am extremely excited about this album because not only does it feature 10 awesome tracks that I love to sing and play, but it also includes seven original songs and tunes written by me. 

    I will tell you about those seven songs and why they inspire me. I hope that will inspire you to make a pledge and support the album on Kickstarter.

    ---

    - A couple things before we finish, would you like to get a short email from me, every week or two where I tell you what's new with my music and share some cool Celtic and Geek things I find online, plus get a free album of my music? If you want to receive that, sign up at celtictop5.com.

    Special thanks to all of my Gunn Runners on Patreon who pledge just $1 or more per month to help me make a living as a musician. You'll get free music, early versions of songs and lyrics, behind-the-scenes podcasts, and first look at new videos. You'll find all the details at marcgunn.net.

    The Celtfather was produced by Marc Gunn. If you enjoyed this episode, then please post a review on iTunes or your favorite podcatcher. Find complete shownotes at celtfather.com. 

    0 min

About Travel Ireland, Scotland and Beyond with Celtic Invasion Vacations

From the publisher's feed

Meet Marc Gunn, The Celtfather. He is a Celtic musician, singer, songwriter, and host of the Irish & Celtic Music Podcast. Every year, he takes Celtic music fans on the relaxing adventure of a lifetime. They don't see everything. Instead, they get to know the region through its culture, history, and legends. You can hear some of those adventures, stories, interviews, and music right here.